The Silent Bystander
by angels-weep-at-dawn
Summary: Death's avatar walks the Earth as an eternal observer, his story has long ended. But unexpected event may call him back to work. Will the Avengers discover who he is? Only Loki knows what he looks like, and Death's chosen does not care to be a hero.
1. Chapter 1

_Death's avatar walks the Earth. Will the Avengers discover who he is? Only Loki knows what he looks like, and Death's chosen does not care to be a hero._

 ** _I own only the plot. :)_**

Loki POV

The cell was built excellently, for mortals; it would hold the majority of above average prisoners without trouble. A pity that it was not made to contain a sorcerer, the fools actually think that this could keep him in. Thor has clearly forgotten that he was a master of magic first, not a warrior. They suspected of course, that he was in here by choice, but believed that they could handle anything that would happen. It almost makes him laugh. They were all ants in comparison to those of other realms, and he was but a child in front of **_the Mad Titan_**. They should be grateful that it was him that would rule . . . compared to **_him_** . . . he was almost an angel in his methods. The methods used on him were not particularly the kindest in gaining his allegiance, especially that time when **_he_** found out about Death's new favorite. It was irony that he just happened onto Death's avatar after being captured, and in a position unbefitting of one with such power.

*Flashback *

The mortals escorted him, to where he presumed he was to be held, with heavily armed guards. It was laughable, if he chose it, he could kill them all so easily. But he resisted, and paid close attention to observe if any were worthy of attention.

Oh, what a surprise! This was an unexpected find, two objectives were assigned to him, one was half accomplished and now the other just dropped into his lap. It almost makes him laugh that the mortals could not see it. The aura of power that clung to the janitor was intoxicating . . . and recognizable. The green-eyed man was diligently cleaning the floor, and it was just _laughable_. Here was Death's avatar right before his eyes, and SHIELD was ignorant as to the man's true identity. Death's avatar was reduced to a cleaning man in the biggest spy organization on Earth. They didn't even know the man's true power; the man would not be cleaning otherwise.

Their eyes met as he passed and in that moment he saw all the deaths of Earth occur simultaneously in those eyes.

*End Flashback*

" _Whoosh." Fury walks in and stands next to some controls._

"In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass _(Presses Button and Hatch Opens),_ thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?"

 _Hatch closes and Fury points at Loki_

"Ant. _(Points at button)_ Boot."

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me." He smirks, inwardly laughing at the fact that already he is being underestimated, never mind that he already knew six different ways to escape the cage.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury replies warily.

"Oh, I've heard." He looks into the camera where he knew he was watched.

"The mindless beast, makes play at being a man. How desperate are you that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I? You threaten the world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad you did."

"Oh, it burns you to come close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, all the while overlooking one of the strongest existence on this planet used for menial tasks."

"Who did I overlook? I've got them all assembled _(haha get it, avengers assemble)_." Fury states confidently.

He laughs at the director of SHIELD, if the man honestly believed that those were the strongest Earth had to offer than he was extremely deluded. Honestly, finding Death's avatar was unexpected but he knew that the green-eyed man would not intervene. Even if Fury realized who he was speaking of, there was no chance of interference as he knew that Death does not interfere in the matters of the living. He only needed to be careful to not deliberately attack him.

"Well, you let me know if real power wants a magazine or something." Fury states in frustration and contempt as he stalks off.

"You should ask Thor what he remembers about Death's chosen. I doubt he recalls much from his lessons, but ask him. If you are able to sway him, you might even win." He throws a parting remark, it was highly unlikely that Death's chosen would step in. If **he** did then, the chances for victory will be nonexistent. But he cares not for victory because in the end, **_the Mad Titan_** will come, and Earth will die regardless.

* * *

 _ **I'm taking a break from my SPN fic. It's going to be on hiatus for a while because I've lost all motivation for it, but it isn't abandoned. I might continue this fic though, my imagination has been running wild with this one.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_I got a review about adding jokes into the narrative. I usually don't add jokes or comments, but the next time I have one, I'll add it as a footnote. Be warned, I added some in this as well, they're the little superscript numbers._**

 ** _I also got a review about just writing the actions that were in parenthesis, and I'll probably do that. That's all I have to say, enjoy!_**

 ** _Again, I do not own MCU.  
_**

* * *

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner states sarcastically.

"Loki's going to drag this out. Thor, as his brother, do you have any insight into his actions? What's his play? And what was that about Death's chosen?" Captain Rogers questions with seriousness and tension, Loki's word had unnerved him.

"He has an army called the Chitauri.1 They are neither of Asgard or any world known.2 He means to lead them against your people, and they will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.3" Thor reluctantly shares his information, but extends it as a gesture of good will.

"An army? From outer space?" Steve interrupts with incredulity, aborting a face palm. By this point, with everything that he learned so far in the 21st century, nothing surprised him anymore.

"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Banner's realization dawns on him.

"Selvig?" Thor questions Banner.

"He's an astrophysicist." Banner states in confusion

"He's a friend." Thor replies with a hint of sadness.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell along with one of ours. I also think we should look for who he was talking about. He talked about this Death's Chosen as if he was nearby, and Loki had recognized him on the walk to his cell. We should go over the tapes to watch his reactions to figure out who he saw." Natasha cut right to the point, coldly informing him to solidify his resolve to fight, and seeing an unexpected asset that could help.

"I agree. We'll look into that, but right now, I want to know why Loki let us take him. He isn't leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him. We should be focusing on who he was talking about." Banner interjects.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." Anger radiated from the Asgardian warrior.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha replied with a deadpan voice.

"He's adopted. Before his madness, he was not like this; he had been the cleverest of the realm. As children, we diverged in our paths when we started training. He delved into sorcery and became a scholar; I followed the path of the warrior. All myths and legends were of great interest to him, and Death's chosen was an old myth. I believe that it is a ruse to hide his scheme."

"Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" Banner states in confusion.

"It's a stabilizing agent." Tony Stark walked in with a swagger, and turns to Agent Coulson behind him.

Stark continued. "I'll fly you there. Keep the love alive. Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."

"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've a mean swing." Ribbing Thor, Stark mimes a playful punch.

"Also it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long as Loki wants." Turning to survey the room as he walks, abruptly Stark stands in front of the control room.

"Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails. That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Stark mimes an eyepatch and looks around.

"How does Fury do this?"

"He turns." Fury's lieutenant replies with annoyance.

"Well, that sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density something to kick start the cube." A small discreet device is slipped onto a nearby computer.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" The lieutenant asks with confusion.

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Captain Rodgers asked, clearly hoping to put things back on track.

Scene Break

"Sir, we've been going over the tapes to look at who Loki's come into contact with while on the Helicarrier." Natasha reports to Fury.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"Yes, Loki's facial expression showed a hint of surprise when he landed on one of the janitors who had been working on the bridge."

"A janitor. Anything suspicious about him?"

"No sir."

"Bring him in, anyway."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

does he know they're called the Chitauri.

does he not question where they came from if the Chitauri are not any of the known races?

does no one question why the army wants the Tesseract? Or whom the army is commanded by? You know, where did the Chitauri come from?

 ** _So there was a question about why Death's avatar and Death's chosen was used interchangeably. You get to that later, but spoiler for those who want to know why. So Harry at the end of book 7 picked up all the Hallows, and that caused him to become Death's chosen. Because the Hallows were all collected by him. He's also Death's chosen, because the embodiment of Death favors him. In my AU, Harry's world dies and is reborn as the Marvel universe. When that happened, he became a part of Death, and was assigned to Earth. Hence why he is called Death's avatar, he's more famous because he's stronger due to being both avatar and chosen. The older races have him recorded in their history as a legend, that's why Loki would know of him._**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 ** _Oh yeah, Stark heard the bit about Death's chosen too. He's going to figure out who it is too. Harry will be speaking weirdly; he's connected with all the other aspects of death and is also an ancient being now, so he's not exactly normal._**

* * *

In a darkened hallway someone could be seen silently cleaning the windows. His presence is almost nonexistent, but one can't help but feel that there's something wrong with him. It may have been the apathy that practically exuded from him, or the green eyes that seemed a tad too luminescent to be human, but worse of all was the animal instinct inherent in all beings that screamed run to those listening. The mechanical motion stopped for a brief minute, and the head turned to watch a corner of a room.

"Come out little king, your illusions cannot hide you from me." The whisper let out echoed with restrained power. In response, another man materialized. He was Loki, the cell he had been in held his double. Reluctantly he knelt to him, he dared not send a double to speak with Death's chosen; it would be an insult to the highest order.

"I greet you, Death's chosen. I am Loki, formerly of Asgard."

" ** _We_** know of you, Liesmith. Born a Jotun, yet raised Asgardian. **_We_** saw the Oathbreaker avert his hand, when he saw you. **_We_** questioned if our sight was true at this vision. Such a shame . . . Why have you come, little king? Thanos has not yet discovered **_our_** presence here."

"No, my lord. I have come on my own volition to seek sanctuary when I am free of **_his_** compulsion. In exchange, I will offer my services and to withhold news of your presence here. "

" ** _We_** do not interfere with mortal affairs, little king. By offering protection, **_we_** will violate the neutrality that is Death. It does not matter to us if **_we_** are revealed, our power is greater and more ancient than the Infinity Stones."

"I will hand the Tesseract over once I'm released from my service to **_him_** as well."

"Done (1). But take heed; with each race that you intervene, **_we_** will withdraw our protection against that race. **_We_** will not protect thee from those who wish thee to pay the consequences of attacking Midgard, despite thou being controlled. **_We_** will place this geis so that thou will know when neutrality is violated. Does thou accept this pact?"

"I accept." Runes appear around the two and Loki glows as one symbol enters him. An intricate mark appears on his neck and arms.

"It is done. Thou will be called when needed."

"I thank thee, my lord." Loki bows in gratefulness and withdraws.

Break (Helicraft attacked already)

"Azrael Peverell, would you please follow me? The director wishes to see you." A red-haired woman speaks.

". . ." The man identified as Azrael nods, but doesn't speak. (2)

The woman, known as Black Widow, leads him to the conference room without letting her guard down once. Her instincts, honed from years of experience, screamed at her to run.

"There's the man of the hour! I'm impressed, all of your files were incredibly realistic but there isn't a trace of you anywhere. I gotta ask, why?" Stark rattles off questions rapidly as soon as Azrael walks in. There's wariness in the remaining people at the conference table, and everyone had hands close to their weapons.

". . ." Azrael doesn't even react, simply staring at them. They could all tell that he didn't care for any of them nor was he going to answer any questions.

"Look son, it's best you answer our questions. We just want to know what Loki has to do with you. If he's manipulating you, we can help. But right now, we need your help to stop Loki. He'll destroy Earth if we can't stop him."

"How amusing. **_We_** are amazed at how narrow you humans view the actions of the Liesmith." Azrael bursts into laughter.

"You say humans as if you aren't one." Natasha catches onto the way Azrael replies.

" ** _We_** are not human."

"What are you then?" Fury asks.

"How disappointing. Once when **_we_** walked the Earth freely, both the wise and foolish took heed to know **_our_** name for fear of **_our_** inevitable visit. Now **_we_** are only a myth, known to wise scholars and fools who seek power."

"I am definitely getting a vibe that this guy is not controlled by Loki. In fact, I think that this dude could swat him like a fly judging by the way he's talking about Loki and himself. So I'm going to go ahead and guess here, Death's Chosen?"

There was only a cold smile in response, and the room seemed to darken.

"I apologize for his disrespectfulness, none of us knew about who you were until just now." Rogers quickly interjects.

" ** _We_** are not affected by his jest, it does not matter what he says. All humans have such fleeting lives in the end that it might as well simply be words lost in the wind."

"What are you doing on my ship?" Fury demands, not even fazed by the reveal of Azrael's identity.

" ** _We_** are Death, and **_we_** follow where deaths occur. **_We_** were drawn here because of the bloodshed and death that follows this vessel."

"Can you help us against Loki? If we all die, then you won't exist anymore."

"How foolish. **_We_** may be responsible for Midgard, but **_we_** do not depend on it for **_our_** existence. **_Our_** existence is such that if **_we_** are unneeded, **_we_** are reabsorbed into the whole until needed once more."

"But why would you do that? You can still stay on Earth if you help us defeat Loki."

" ** _We_** do not interfere in mortal affairs. **_We_** are Death, and Death is neutral to all. Besides, the Liesmith does not care for Midgard. He is only a pawn, the first in the war that comes. "

"Who is the Chess master then?" Ever the pragmatist, Fury focuses on that tidbit of information. The rest of the team is stunned by this new piece of information.

"What war?" Rogers interjects after Fury's question.

"Did you think that the Tesseract was simply a pretty box? When you tampered with it, the cube sent out a signal. It sings to all who can listen, to be claimed and reunited with its brothers. Now **_he_** comes, the Mad one who seeks the Mistress. **_He_** will give Midgard as a gift to her, and relieve her burden."

"You never should have dug the cube out of the ocean." Rogers bitterly looks at Fury.

"What sort of gift are you talking about? Hope it's not the sexual kind (wink) . . . The Mistress sounds kinky" Stark jokingly asks.

"Do not insult **_us_**. The Mistress is **_Death_** , the original. **_We_** are a piece of **_Death_** , but not **_Death_**. The Mad Titan believes that the absence of life will gain **_Death's_** attention, believing that the whole **_us_** will be able to love."

"Getting a feeling that you have some real identity issues here." Stark states.

"Who is The Mad Titan? What do you mean by the whole?"

"The Mad Titan seeks to court **_Death_**. But **_we_** are not whole; **_we_** are pieces of the whole tasked with watching **_our_** respective worlds. The Mad Titan destroys worlds, so that the Mistress will reabsorb those of **_us_** whom are unneeded on a world without life." (3)

"So there are more of you?" Natasha quietly watches Azrael for tells.

"There are many worlds in this galaxy. ** _We_** exist on all those with life."

"Why are you telling this to us?" Fury suspects that there's more to the story Azrael tells.

" ** _We_** are one of the oldest pieces of **_Death_** , **_we_** have existed since before this universe was born. **_We_** are the most aware of **_us_** , and the thought of The Mad Titan destroying all life is . . . displeasing that **_our_** amusement will end." (4)

"Then help us." The good Captain throws out another plea, believing he could sway Azrael. Death's Chosen smiles blankly and starts to fade in response. The conversation was over, and the team was left without hope.

* * *

1\. He takes the stone because even if he's more powerful, he still doesn't want to go through all that trouble to fight Thanos.

2\. Harry pretends to be mute as a human. He speaks in 3rd person, and no one does that in modern society.

3\. There are aspects of Death on every world with life. They are like robots who are all connected with each other, and the Mistress is like the main robot and they all know what each of them are doing because their all technically the same person. They watch over their respective worlds until they aren't needed anymore, then are reabsorbed into the collective until needed. The aspects make sure that everything dies on time, and no one cheats the "system". If they do, the aspect of that world hunts them down and kills them.

4\. As Master of the Hallows, Harry is granted immortality by Death and existed all the way until the end of time and space. At the end of the universe, everything reset and Harry was taken into the collective Death because he's special. Harry sorta went insane though, and is a very special aspect of Death.


	4. Update Status

Hello readers! I'm still working on this story, so don't fret, but I won't update this until I see Doctor Strange. I've heard that the two show up, and I haven't seen the movie yet so I still have to work that into my story. I'm not sure how long it'll take until I have the time to see it, and then write it, but if I don't update by Dec 20 this won't be updated until January. I've added in an excerpt of what I have written so far though, so bear with me. This next chapter is based on Thor the Dark World, which I just saw two weeks ago. Enjoy :)

 _Scene occurs after the Battle of New York, before the Helicarrier scene_

 _The Avengers were approaching Loki when a symbol appeared under the Tesseract. Everyone could feel the power in the air. At the peak of the light's brilliance, the Tesseract vanished._

 _"_ _Loki, what sorcery did you wrought?" Thor shook Loki as he laughed._

 _"_ _Nothing. I am defeated, am I not? What other card do I have to play?" Loki smiled as he answered before wincing in pain and lifting to check his hand. There, the symbol that had taken away the Tesseract appeared in dark colors._

 _"_ _That symbol! What did you bargain away to the Master of Death?" Thor demanded, shaking Loki._

 _"_ _It was an insurance of sorts. Nothing harmful." Loki replied with a chuckle._

 _"_ _Heimdall!"_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Haha. I don't own Marvel, so plz don't sue me. Just realized I may have forgotten to put disclaimers. :)**

Scene occurs after the Battle of New York, before the Helicarrier scene

The Avengers were approaching Loki when a symbol appeared under the Tesseract. Everyone could feel the power in the air. At the peak of the light's brilliance, the Tesseract vanished.

"Loki, what sorcery did you wrought?" Thor shook Loki as he laughed.

"Nothing. I am defeated, am I not? What other card do I have to play?" Loki smiled as he answered before wincing in pain and lifting to check his hand. There, the symbol that had taken away the Tesseract appeared in dark colors.

"That symbol! What did you bargain away to the _Master of Death_?" Thor demanded, shaking Loki.

"It was an insurance of sorts. Nothing harmful." Loki replied with a chuckle.

"Heimdall!"

 **Flashy lights and different symbol. Thor and Loki land and enter the throne room.**

"Father, I have returned with Loki."

"Good, leave us." The regal king sat on the throne without anyone else around, having dismissed them.

"Father, Loki has struck a bargain with the _Master of Death_." Thor protested, showing Odin Loki's hand with the symbol.

"Loki, explain yourself."

"It was nothing serious, I don't understand what all this fuss is about." A smile and twinkle in his eye.

"Have you gone mad? Only fools bargain with _him_ , what did you bargain?" The old king's voice was raised, and his face had visibly paled.

"I gave the Tesseract to _him_ , in return for protection and safety."

"None would harm you here. Though you are no longer trusted, none would dare harm you within Asgard."

"I never claimed it was from Asgard."(1)

"Then who?" Confusion marred the faces of both Thor and Odin.

"Was this who gave you the scepter?"

"Now that would be telling wouldn't it?" (2) Mischief and spite dripped from Loki, and a hint of malice tainted his voice.

"No threat could possibly cause you to seek help of that magnitude. What do you hide?"

"' _Deep into that darkness, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.'(3)"_ The quote was crooned softly, with a hint of madness and despair.

"You've gone mad. Guards, take him to his cell. For his sentence, he will serve 10 years for each life killed on Earth through his actions." Alarm and wariness warred within Odin.

"' _Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.(4)'"_ The parting remark seemed to ring in the silence left, and the warning fell on deaf ears.

 **Line Break**

Malekith wakes as the aether chooses a host. In his cell, Loki's hand flashes and Loki watches the symbol for a while with a neutral expression. Something was coming.

Scene Break (after cell scene with Frigga)

 _"_ _What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough; for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams(5_ )."

"Have you gone mad little king? **_The Mad King_** never did treat his toys kindly."

"Why have you come, my lord?" Seemingly regaining his sanity from his introspective rambling, Loki straightened.

" ** _We_** come to warn you, the Aether has woken. The would-be god comes to claim the stone."

"The stone?"

"Ah . . . you would not know the tale. It is another of the pretty stones that is sought by Thanos."

"Would you like me to retrieve it for you?"

"No, **_we_** do not care for the stones. ** _We_** only care that it is hidden, and the Tesseract has been hidden (6). But like calls to like, and if Thanos can capture the others he'll be able to obtain it."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, **_we_** came only to warn that you should not take part in this battle. There are many others involved with the stones, to draw their attention would not be wise."

"Yes"

"Do not forget our agreement Liesmith, soon a choice will have to be made about family and whether or not to forego **_our_** protection. **_We_** look forward to your decision."

1\. I always thought Loki should have revealed Thanos to be seeking the Infinity Stones.

2\. . I think Loki still loved Asgard even after he found out his parentage, he was lied to his entire life, of course he harbors resentment. I also believe that he would have tried to find a way to warn Thor and maybe Odin, and this is my way of letting him do that.

3\. Edgar Allan Poe quote. Because Loki stared into the abyss, and the abyss stared back. I am very skeptical that Loki doesn't have a whole bunch of psychological issues from finding out a) he's adopted b) he's a jotunn c) he fell into space and drifted for however long d) was gang pressed into service by Thanos.

4\. Arthur Koestler

5\. Pedro Calderon de la Barca

6\. 6. Cuz of plot, the location of the Tesseract will be a mystery for now. I'm not a Marvel Comic fan, so this story is solely based on the films.


	6. Interlude

Hey guys! It's been a while, but I'm back! I would have posted this earlier, but I hadn't finished this yet and I was prepping for my math final (which I failed btw). Later chapters will be slow b/c I don't want to commit to anything yet until Infinity War or Ragnorak comes out. It's a bit short. But enjoy!

Interlude- Loki

He was the perfect one. Always Thor. It was as if the whole world centered around him. It didn't matter that the monster that was defeated had never even attacked the settlement. It didn't matter that in the process of defeating the monster, Thor had caused an even greater disaster. It didn't matter that those he defeated had only turned to villainy because they had no choice. The world revolved around Thor. He was only _Thor's_ brother. Not Loki.

It burned. Why? He had mastered illusions at 200, and Odin and Frigga had congratulated him. But Thor's kill of the - had earned him a public feast and celebration. Everywhere he went, people always asked about Thor. And when Thor became the Wielder of Mjolnir, it was even worse because now he was known as worthy and people started to revere him. Sif, who had started out as a tentative friend fell into that group after she met Thor. They had commiserated before, over their respective plights. He who was talented in Sorcery and always in Thor's shadow, and her, who faced ridicule for being a female warrior. But even she left him for Thor, everyone always did.

He was not the cold heartless sorcerer proclaimed by all. He did feel a bit of remorse for what he had to do. The Midgardians needed to realize that there had enemies who were coming for them, enemies who could not be beaten without their greatest heroes uniting together. Those who died when he led the Chitauri were a necessary sacrifice to create a common enemy, while it was disappointing that he could not reveal _**His**_ existence . . . the foundation was there.

The pressure was unbearable, he hated his "family", he hated Asgard, and worst of all he hated himself. The only reason that he danced to _**His**_ tune, was due to the turmoil he felt over his . . . heritage . . . being _used_ by _**Him**_. The stone only magnified his sense of inferiority, and Thor playing the hero to his villain only made it worse. Thor wanted to save him, and perhaps he could do it. His brother looked and acted like a hero from the legends they used to read about without even trying, he even had the "mighty" weapon. But he didn't want to be saved, least of all by him. He would rather die than take Thor's hand or pity . . . no . . . if he was to go down, he would make sure that all his _enemies_ went down with him rather than live and ask for help.


End file.
